Back to the Shack

So, we finally got to hear our first bit of "Everything Will Be Alright in the End," Weezer's 9th (or 10th if you count "Death to False Metal") studio album. There is a lot of buzz online about the new album and fans are excited for a return to form after the lackluster "Ratitude"/"Hurley" eras.

Here's the first single "Back to the Shack"



Not bad, not "Blue" or "Pinkerton" great, but it shows lots of promise for the new (old) direction the band is heading.

Doctor Who 50th: Prequel

Awesomeness

Meet the 12th Doctor

Pelicans Jerseys

It took a while, but we finally got a look at the new Pelicans' jerseys. My only complaint, and it seems to be the majority criticism of the jerseys, is the font for "New Orleans" is too small on the front. I really like the shorts and the side stripes that outline the beak of a pelican.

These jerseys are receiving negative feedback for being too bland, but I like them. They are a lot more creative than the Oklahoma City Thunder or Brooklyn Nets jerseys are. I can't wait to see them on the court this fall.

Ready for Pelicans basketball?

Here's the court they're going to play on, as unveiled today. Still waiting on jerseys though:

Pelicans Land the 6th Pick in the Draft

Last night the NBA held its Draft Lottery and the New Orleans Pelicans came away with the 6th pick. When looking at the odds, the 6th pick was the most likely scenario with a 36% chance of that happen and once the Wizards moved up from the 8th spot into the top 3, the only hope was that New Orleans had also moved up. Dell Demps said that the Pelicans were only one lotto ball away from leaping into the #3 spot, but it wasn't meant to be and now the team drafts sixth.

Now that the order is set, what will New Orleans do with the pick? There are lots of options and with the cap room that the Pelicans have this offseason, they can be a big player in making deals. Will they move the pick, package it with players and acquire picks and players, or stay pat and selected at the 6th spot? That's what the next month or so holds for NBA fans to ponder.

Here's a look at some very early mock drafts and who they project the Pelicans to select:

• Bourbon Street Shots:  Dario Saric, SF, Croatia
• CBS Sports: Trey Burke, PG, Michigan
• Sports Illustrated: Trey Burke, PG, Michigan 
• Sporting News: Victor Oladipo, SG, Indiana
• Yahoo Sports: Alex Len, C, Maryland
• WalterFootball: Trey Burke, PG, Michigan
• NBA.com: Trey Burke, PG, Michigan

Doctor Who Finale = Awesome

Saints' 2013 Draft Class

The 2013 NFL Draft is now in the books, and there was not shortage of storylines. From quarterbacks dropping to Manti Tao going later than expected to the Jets adding their sixth QB to their roster, the Draft is always an exciting time.

On the Saints front, fans can follow the mantra, In Loomis We Trust. Loomis has hit on many late picks over the years and fans know Saints scouts will search far and wide for talent (Hofstra, Bloomberg, Regina) and now they can add Tarleton State to the list.

There was excitement in the first round when many highly ranked prospects dropped, but the Saints went with a guy that had been tied to them in safety Kenny Vaccaro. Some Saints fans wanted Jarvis Jones from Georgia, but Vaccaro helps the backend of the defense, in an area that was certainly needed. The best thing about the pick is it could mean less playing time for Roman Harper, which is a good thing for improving the defense.

Perhaps more exciting than the first round for Saints fans was Round 3, when after sitting idle for all of Round 2, the Saints' turn finally came around and they selected OT Terron Armstead of Arkan sas Pine Bluff.  Then moments later, the Saints were back on the clock, having traded up, to select DT John Jenkins of Georgia. They traded two 4th round picks to move up, but where'd the extra 4th come from? The rumored Chris Ivory trade to the Jets finally happened, so essentially, the Saints turned a luxury running back into an anchor for the new look 3-4 defense.

Here's a look at the Saints 2013 Draft Class:

Round 1, pick 15: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas

 Round 3, pick 75: Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas Pine Bluff

Round 3, pick 82: John Jenkins, DT, Georgia

Round 5, pick 144: Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma

Round 6, pick 183: Rufus Johnson, DE/LB, Tarleton State

Looking over the list, the Saints had a solid draft and certainly improved their team. Here's a look at some of the grades the team's five-member draft class has received:

• Mel Kiper Jr: B
• Walter Football: A
• SI.com: C
• USA Today: B+
• Sporting News: B
• CBS Sports Pete Prisco: B+
• CBS Sports Rob Rang: B-
• Yahoo: B+
• Fox Sports: B-, B+ and B

If I had to assign a letter grade on this draft, I think B+ is a fair one, but you don't really know the value of a draft class for 2-3 years.

Who will the Saints draft?

It's the day of the 2013 NFL Draft, basically Christmas morning for NFL fans as their teams are picking out a new set of toys. The Saints are picking basically in the middle of the 1st round at 15, and it's still anyone's guess where they'll go with the pick. Heck, it still anyone's guess who the top pick is going to be, let alone who will be available at #15.

I can't recall a draft with this much uncertainty before. Its the day of the draft, and there's still talk of guys leaping up into the top 10 (Tavon Austin, D.J. Hayden, Ryan Nassib) or players slipping out of the first round (Geno Smith, Corderelle Patterson, Bjoern Werner). They always say the draft is a crapshoot and that's never been more true than this year.

The Times-Picayune took a sample of 50 mock drafts to see what the Saints were projected to do, and the majority show that LB Jarvis Jones would be the selection. The next highest player was Barkevious Mingo, who is getting a lot of buzz as a top 10 pick. If he slides, I'm sure the Saints would be happy to turn in their card with his name on it.

In the same vein as the Times-Picayune, here's a look at a few mocks and who they have the Saints selecting:

• Mike Mayock: Barkevious Mingo, OLB/DE, LSU
• Sports Illustrated's Don Banks: Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia
• Sports Illustrated's Peter King: Sylvester Williams, DT, UNC
• SI.com's Twitter Fan Vote: Jarvis Jones, OLB, Goergia
• NFL Draft Countdown: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• Walter Football: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• NFL.com Gil Brandt: Sylvester Williams, DT, UNC
• NFL.com Daniel Jeremiah: D.J. Flucker, OT, Alabama
• Mike Detillier: Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia
• Larry Holder, Times-Picayune: Barkevious Mingo, OLB/DE, LSU
• Nakia Hogan, Times-Picayune: Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia

With all that uncertainty, this much is clear, most "experts" have the Saints taking defense in Round 1. BUT ... the Saints have been known to throw out some curveballs in the draft, so I wouldn't be surprised if they went with someone that was unexpected, and that's what makes the draft so much fun. 

If I had to narrow down the pick based on who will likely be available, I think the choice will come down to Jarvis Jones or Kenny Vaccaro, with the team choosing Jones since pass rushers are a more sought after position and safeties can be found later in the draft. If one of the top defensive linemen like Sheldon Richardson or Star Lotulelei is there, they may have to pull the trigger and take them. 

Select Crawfish for the Commish

Now Goodell says the Saints won't get their 2nd round pick back. Well, welcome to New Orleans Roger, we saved some crawfish for ya:

New Orleans Pelicans

It's official. After this season, the Hornets are no more. Welcome the New Orleans Pelicans! I have to say that when I first heard the name Pelicans, like most, I didn't like it. But word first leaked, it has grown on me. After the rebrand unveiling today, I am firmly behind the name and surprisingly, the colors as well.

The Pelicans will wear blue, gold (same gold as the Saints) and red. I didn't like red as a color option as soon as I heard it, but again, after the presentation today, I'm on board. These are the colors in the New Orleans flag, so instead of taking the easy way out and picking Mardi Gras colors, they went with more subdued colors and they work well together. I can't wait to see the uniforms, but from the look of the main logo and the secondary ones, the uniforms will be a hit as well.

The highlight of the logo for me is the crescent basketball. I hadn't even noticed it before they pointed it out during the presentation, but it's just a nice subtle touch and works so well for a team located in the Crescent City. The team seems to have fully embraced the Pelicans already from concept and colors to awareness and coastal preservation. Today, is a win for the NBA and Louisiana. 

Nirvana Unplugged After the Show

Nirvana Unplugged stands alone at the top when people look back at MTV's Unplugged series. Being a huge Nirvana fan, I love every minute of that concert and came across a unique video on YouTube that talks with the people involved in planning and producing Unplugged.

I hadn't seen this before, so if you're a big Nirvana fan (or grew up in the '90s), have a look:

Doctor Who Goes Updated Retro

In this season's brilliant Christmas special, The Snowmen, Doctor Whoshowcased a number of new features and introductions. There was the new companion, Clara, for one, but while she was technically introduced in the season premiere, Asylum of the Daleks, the companion Clara still hasn't been introduced. This is a bit of timey-whimeyness and a bit of Steven Moffat toying with the audience (**spoilers** Clara Oswin Oswald made an appearance in both episodes, but didn't make it out alive in either). So while we've got months to discuss this new companion and the mystery surrounding her, here are some of the other changes to Doctor Who:

New opening titles:



This opening title sequence still ties in with the new series, but pays homage to the classic series with the stars and having the Doctor's face appear in space. Really enjoyed this new look.

The Tardis:

The biggest change, besides a new companion, is the new look Tardis exterior with worn paint and the completely revamped interior:



While it looks streamlined compared to Matt Smith's previous interior, there is a lot going on here. It will take a few viewings to really get a feel for it, but at first look, I like it. I can see how some fans who've only seen the new series may not care for it, but many classic series fans had a hard time at first with the coral look that has been a staple over the past few years.

This new look definitely is a nod to the classic series. Here's a look at the Tardis interior over the years to get a feel for how the look has changed in subtle or drastic ways over the years.

New costume:

He still has a bowtie, but everything else was changed for this episode. Is this a one-off look or is the Professor Indiana Jones look gone for good? Matt Smith enjoys having the Doctor wear hats, so the top hat was a nice touch. We'll see where they go with the costume, but as we see in the coming soon trailer, it looks like different variations of his outfit may be coming. Remember, David Tennant wore multiple suits during his time as the Doctor and Tom Baker went through a few variations of his basic look, so changing Smith's outfit isn't a big change for the series as long as they never forget, bow ties are cool:

Nirvana Reunion with Paul McCartney

"Cut Me Some Slack"

LSU Bowl Projections

Now that we're nearing the end of the season (only two games left for the Tigers, can you believe it?), fans can start dreaming about their postseason vacations. With Texas A&M's victory over #1 Alabama, LSU's bowl picture has cleared up and become more cloudy all at the same time.

LSU will be going to a top-tiered bowl this year, but exactly which one remains to be seen. LSU's best hopes of securing a BCS berth is to cheer on Florida State when they take on Florida at the end of the season. If LSU can get into the top 4 of the BCS, they are guaranteed a bid, and a likely bid to a new BCS spot - either in Arizona or southern California. Tiger fans will like the sound of that much more than another trip to Jerry's World in Dallas (especially since the Tigers play their again to open next season). 

While the Cotton is probably the most likely scenario, especially with Texas A&M being such a hot commodity after their upset over 'Bama, that top 4 finish assures the Tigers of landing in the BCS and not having a bowl take the lower-ranked Aggies over LSU. If LSU is outside of the top 4, LSU is still an attracted at-large team for BCS bowls, but only if there's no second SEC team in the top 4. Then LSU would be in competition with the loser of Alabama/Georgia SEC title game, Florida, South Carolina or Texas A&M for the BCS at-large spot in either the Fiesta or Rose Bowl. 

Here's a look at where some "experts" have the Tigers playing in January:

ESPN: 

- Cotton (Dallas, Texas)

- Fiesta (Glendale, Az.)

Sports Illustrated: 

- Cotton (Dallas)

College Football News: 

- Cotton (Dallas)

CBS Sports: 

- Fiesta (Glandale)

SB Nation: 

- Outback (Tampa, Fla.)

Record Setting: Brees Breaks Unitas' Record

Congratulations Drew!

Saints need their mojo back

What is going on around here? The Saints were finally looking like the team we thought they'd be. They were ahead 24-6 over the lowly Chiefs and had the game at hand, then the next thing you know, Saints fans are watching Ryan Succop's field goal sail through the uprights and 0-3 is exactly who the Saints are today.

There's no sugar-coating this, the Saints are a bad team right now. They have no direction and are like a rudderless ship. Of course, that's exactly what they are without head coach Sean Payton.

What was crazy about the Chiefs lost was how bad both the offense and defense looked in the second half. Saints coaches placed mirrors in each player's locker after the Carolina loss last week so there would be no finger pointing and everyone would look at themselves first. Well, I guess the offense wanted a reason to have to look at themselves in the mirror because they joined their atrocious defensive counterparts this week and stunk up the Superdome in the second half.

What happened to this team? The offensive line couldn't block anyone and the receivers have a bad case of the droppsies. Runningbacks can't get more than a few yards and Drew Brees is forcing way too many passes into coverage and suffering interceptions as a result.

That's not even to mention the defense, which is playing some of the worse football Saints fans have seen in the Sean Payton/Drew Brees era. Running backs are all looking like hall of famers and receivers are catching first down after first down with nary a defender in site. Little to no pressure is being put on opposing quarterbacks, and the once beaten down former coordinator Gregg Williams, is now being looked at in a new light, bounty scandals and all.

To not feel left out in the mirror gazing, sure-footed Garrett Hartley missed what could have been the game-sealing field goal in that unbelievable second half as well.

So where do the Saints go from here? These are all professionals and they won't just give up, but the odds and the schedule are against them. Looking at the next few weeks, the schedule is brutal (Green Bay, San Diego, Denver, Philadelphia and Atlanta are five of the next six games).

This may be one of those years where Saints fans can start reciting the old school Saints unofficial slogan, "Wait 'til next year!" Of course, next year can't come soon enough because then, Sean Payton will be walking through the door and the team will have it's mojo back.

Football is back! The Giants and Cowboys kicked off the regular season this past Wednesday and the rest of the league gets started this weekend. For Saints fans, the start of the season can't come soon enough. With bounty-gate, the ESPN-crafted eavesdropping story and Drew Brees' contract dispute, this offseason is one that fans soon want to forget. Here's a look at my take on how the season will play out: 

NFL Playoffs:
AFC North: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South: Houston Texans
AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC West: Oakland Raiders
Wild Cards: Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers

NFC North: Green Bay Packers
NFC South: New Orleans Saints
NFC East: Dallas Cowboys
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
Wild Cards: Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears

AFC Championship: Patriots over Texans
NFC Championship: Packers over Saints

Super Bowl: Packers over Patriots

#1 Pick in 2013 Draft: Cleveland Browns

League Awards:
MVP: Drew Brees, QB, Saints
Offensive Player of the Year: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots
Defensive Player of the Year: DeMarcus Ware, LB, Cowboys
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Andrew Luck, QB, Colts
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Chandler Jones, DE, Patriots
Comeback Player of the Year: Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings
Coach of the Year: Chan Gailey, Bills

Coming Sept. 1

Doctor Who Series 7 Looks Awesome